Necessity is the mother of invention. Before I moved to the country and started raising a family, I hadn’t a clue what that adage meant. Oh, believe me, I’m not suggesting that one has to move to the country in order to be inventive, resourceful, or creative. I guess what I’m saying is…I did. In the city, with every convenience at my fingertips, it never occurred to me to wing it in the kitchen, to reinvent the wheel, to make do with what I had…because what I had, grocery-wise, was anything I ever wanted. But in the country, with a hungry cowboy and four kids to feed, I learned very quickly that there’s no “running to the store real quick” if I run out of an important staple. If a key ingredient is missing in my meal preparation, I simply have to wing it. To reinvent the wheel. To make do with what I have. It’s an important lesson for any home cook to learn; I just had to move many miles from civilization to learn it.

In the coming months, I plan to periodically discuss the concept of buying in bulk—not necessarily as a means of amassing huge quantities of food, but as a means of strategically stocking your pantry for longterm meal preparation, and, in the long run, saving considerable amounts of money. It’s taken years and years for me to learn this principle, as I was always the very embodiment of the “shop meal by meal” approach, which can work for a single person household but which has proved to be untenable in my current rural existence. In addition, I’ll be talking about growing your own herbs, whether in an outdoor or indoor garden, and show you how much it can expand your cooking repertoire, what a huge difference it can make in the flavor of your cooking, and again, how much money that can save you in the long run. Storebought herbs are pricey, man! So we have a lot to talk about here, folks.

If only I actually knew anything…then we’d be home free.

For now, to keep it simple, I want to share my I’m-All-Out-of-Hidden-Valley- Ranch-Packets-Dadgummit-So-What-the-Heck-Do-I-Do? Ranch Dressing recipe with you. As with many of my dishes here, I’ll present you with the base recipe, then you can freely add other ingredients here and there to achieve the flavor you like. While it’s pretty hard to beat that dadgum green and white storebought packet, I actually really love the flavor of the from-scratch stuff. Try it and see if you do, too!

Okay, first, start with 1 to 2 cloves of garlic. And honestly, I’m almost leaning toward using just one clove these days. Remember, it will remain raw and raw garlic is extuhreeeeemely strong. The past few times I’ve made it, the garlic has been a little too pronounced for me. And you can always start light and add more if you think it needs it. Also, keep in mind that the longer the dressing sits in the fridge, the more strong the garlic flavor will get.

I inherited my dad’s gastrointestinal tract. I’m gonna be one of those seniors that has to eat dinner at 3:45 p.m.

Just smash the garlic with the bottom of a can or a glass, then peel off the papery shell.

Begin by chopping up the garlic pretty finely. Then, sprinkle about 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon (or a healthy pinch) kosher salt on top. Regular salt would also work fine in a pinch.

In a pinch. Gracious, do I ever crack myself up.

By the way, Morton’s makes kosher salt and it can be found in most supermarkets. Kosher salt is NOT kosher. Kosher salt is used in the preparation of kosher meats, and it’s characterized by flat flakes that easily adhere to the surface of foods. In this case, though, it will act as an abrasive.

Now, with the back of the knife or a fork, begin mashing the garlic into a fine paste.

This starts out a little slow, but before too long it’ll start mashing up and changing in consistency. The coarse salt helps the process along.

Now chop up some fresh chives. I am mildly obsessed with fresh chives lately, and did you know many people confuse chives and green onions/scallions? Though in some cases they can be somewhat interchangeable, in ranch dressing, I really think chives are the way to go.

They’re easy to grow, too! And they make the prettiest purple flowers…but we’ll talk about that later.

Chop up around 2 tablespoons of chives to start with. They impart a pretty strong flavor to the dressing, so you don’t want to go too berserk with them.

And now for the parsley! You can be a little more generous here, as it doesn’t have quite the bite as the garlic and the chives.

Fresh parsley IS strong beyond a certain point, though. So start with about 1/4 cup and you can add more from there.

And note: Because its leave are flat and a little more texturally palatable than its curly counterpart, Flat Leaf Parsley is obviously the preferred way to go. But flavor-wise, in a pinch, don’t be scared of using curly leaf (the garnish stuff) parsley. Just pull back a little on the quantity because it can be a little stronger.

Now, if you could please excuse what appears to be my albino hand, I’d sure be appreciative. Hey, man—it’s all in the lighting. It’s…it’s the exposure, man. Yeah, that’s it.

I chop up the parsley pretty finely.

Now! Before I proceed, let me point out the base ingredients for the creamy part of the dressing: Mayonnaise, Sour Cream, and Buttermilk (though regular milk will work, too.) I’ll show you the quantities I use, but I want to emphasize that YOU can find the precise mixture that works for you. There is no right or wrong combination; you just have to play and figure out what makes your skirt fly up. But here’s how I approach it: the mayonnaise gives the dressing the solid, creamy, tangy base. I use more of it. The sour cream brings a thickness and a body to the dressing…but it’s light and mild in flavor. And the buttermilk, or the regular milk, acts as a thinning agent, bringing your ranch dressing to the proper consistency. Buttermilk will be thicker and tangier; milk will almost be a non-flavor…but will thin it quite a bit more. So if you like a highly pourable dressing, regular milk would be best.

Good lands, I talk a lot.

I use a cup of mayonnaise and 1/2 cup sour cream. And the cool thing is, you can substitute the low-fat or fat-free stuff if you’re feeling particularly health conscious.

I’ve sure never done that, but that doesn’t mean YOU can’t!

Now use your creepy albino hand to add in the garlic. Keep in mind that this is two cloves, and I later regretted using that much.

Throw in the parsley…

And throw in the chives.

Now give it a stir so you can evaluate the flavor and consistency…

Then add in buttermilk or milk as needed. If you find the flavor overwhelming or too salty, regular milk would cut/dillute that a bit.

Now, I think fresh dill is REALLY delicious, so I add in about 1 to 2 teaspoons at least. I’m totally obsessed with fresh dill right now—ever since I made this a couple of months ago. Fresh dill is all I think about.

IMPORTANT! Keep tasting as you go. And don’t just stick in the tip of your pinkie and taste a little dab—taste it on some lettuce, for the love of Pete!

That’ll always give you a more accurate gauge.

Keep tasting as you go, adding more salt, if needed…

Or more chives.

Or more parsley, or more dill…or you could go out on a limb and add any or all of the following: white vinegar, black pepper, cayenne pepper, a dash of worcestershire, paprika, fresh oregano, or Tabasco.

Just know this: If you make it the way YOU like it, you absolutely can’t mess it up!

Preparation Instructions

Mince the garlic with a knife and then sprinkle about an 1/8 to ¼ teaspoons of salt on it and mash it into a paste with a fork. Chop the parsley, chives and any of the optional herbs very finely and add to the garlic.

In a bowl combine all ingredients, adding other optional ingredients as you wish, tasting frequently and adjusting seasonings as needed. Chill for a couple of hours before serving, thin with milk or buttermilk if desired.

(Don’t overdo the garlic or you’ll be up all night, emailing me about your heartburn.)

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362 Comments

301

Amy On Sunday, June 8 at 4:55 pm

I was wondering how I could make my own dressing, so thanks. However, I do have one problem. The sun has come out and I have been out at the park and around with the kids, so my albino hands are gone for awhile. Do you think it will taste right, maybe I should wait until winter to try this one! Well, then that puts me in a perdicament, I won’t have any fresh herbage going on. Dang, what to do, what to do.

Beth Garrard On Sunday, June 8 at 8:47 pm

Kudo’s to you for explaining it is cheaper to buy in bulk, I used to spend my $400 per month for groceries at the Food Lion. After our new Sam’s Club opened, my grocery money has went much farther. I am also in agreement of growing your own herbs, in addition to my huge garden I put out every year. Gosh, how would we make it without our old fashioned common sense?

I am going to try this recipe, it is almost impossible to find home made recipe’s for this stuff anymore…thanks Ree…so much!

Anne with an e On Sunday, June 8 at 11:58 pm

Oh, heavens, you make me laugh, Ree. I’m just reading along, mildly amused by your albino hand, not really paying close attention to what I’m reading because, as it is nearly midnight here in Minnesota, I have no immediate plans to make this (undoubtedly delicious) recipe and besides which I do live in the city and have several little green and white packets in my cupboard, when I come upon this:
Good lands, I talk a lot.
And then, I laugh, and laugh. And laugh. Maybe it’s because it’s nearly midnight. I don’t know. But you find a way to make me laugh even when I’m reading about salad dressing which I have no plans to make. And that’s pretty impressive.

307

Julie On Monday, June 9 at 1:26 am

Ree-
If you are ever using fresh garlic in a recipe and want to eliminate the harshness, be sure to smash the clove and remove the greenish core as it contains most of the chemicals that give raw garlic that bitter bite. Takes like 1 second more prep time, but makes a big difference in flavor.

I first discovered Ranch Dressing when I was in Atlanta, GA in 1994. It was a big, barn-sized pub with rafters holding empty bottles of beer, and on the advice of a couple of locals we ordered several dozen Buffalo Wings and a bowl of ranch dressing and another of blue cheese dressing. And beers. I gained 5 lbs that day yet my love for ranch dressing, buffalo wings and beer is undiminished.

Thanks for the recipe! We don’t have the packet mix here in Australia but we do get Paul Newman’s Ranch Dressing which is pretty good. But not as good as the Reel Thing har-har.

309

Janet On Monday, June 9 at 6:39 am

Made this this weekend to dress a pasta salad, worked great and tasted even better! I followed the suggestion of several posters about removing the center of the garlic. Wahla, no heartburn!

310

Tina On Monday, June 9 at 8:37 am

#1–My mother clips the fresh dill, washes it, puts it in freezer bags, and chunks it in the freezer—she has fresh dill even in the winter time!!!!

i need to make this before my parsley is done for the season. and i have the chives out there too. and i am sick of hidden valley from the jar. and i have fresh spinach i need to use up. and i have some expired buttermilk i should use. and it just sounds yummy. thanks.

Well thank god. You may have just saved me a plain ticket to the US to buy ready made ranch dressing (which is not available on this continent FYI). Then I would have had to smuggle it through customs, likely requiring cavity searches and other unpleasant things. But now I don’t have to! Recipe in hand, I can make it myself! Woo-hoo!!!!

313

Kendra H. On Wednesday, June 11 at 1:03 pm

I would be forever indebted to you for the “stock your pantry and not run to the store every other day” lesson! I love your helpful hints and recipes! Please keep them coming! I’m waiting on pins and needles for your gardening and pantry stocking posts!

314

Victoria Pirrung On Wednesday, June 11 at 11:02 pm

As a descendent of a first generation Italian family living in the United States and still living near many grocery stores, I still run to the store every day that I am home. This enables me to construct a full meal utilizing whatever is the freshest within a one mile radius of my home.

315

Amanda On Thursday, June 12 at 12:12 am

I, as a matter of fact, do NOT know how many people confuse green onions/scallions with chives. How many?

Made this tonight, along with some delicious homemade bread. I almost felt like Martha, until I realized that Martha would never eat on Corelle plates or condone basically everything else I do/have in my kitchen. Oh well. Thanks for the recipe — it’s going in my “special recipe” binder. (Methinks this ranch dressing would taste mighty yummy drizzled over Crash Hot Potatoes.)

317

herman clausan On Wednesday, June 18 at 1:28 am

This is so cool! I just found a recipe on another blog for a cream of… soup recipe and now I find this. THANK YOU! I love making things from scratch rather than buying processed things. We just had to do the “run to the store and buy Ranch dressing thing” before dinner tonight! This would have come in mighty handy a few hours ago! I’ll copy it and stick it in my favorite recipes book.

320

Carolina de Witte On Tuesday, July 1 at 2:38 pm

I’ve been making homemade ranch dressing for years, but I always add grated parmesan to mine. And, NEVER EVER miracle whip…yuck!!! I also always add worcestershire sauce as well. I also use softened cream cheese along with the mayo and buttermilk rather than the sour cream. I change the herbs depending on what I have, but always add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. This is one of the few recipes in which I prefer garlic powder rather than fresh garlic, I actually use Lowrey’s granulated garlic. I end up with about a quart of dressing when I’m done, but I share it, and we use a LOT of it anyway. Yum!! I really need to stop reading this blog, and get stuff done around here, but this is far too tempting. I know it will still be here tomorrow, or even next week, but…I’m weak!!

321

Carolina de Witte On Tuesday, July 1 at 2:44 pm

BTW…Amanda (#315)…you need an attitude adjustment. Of course, we can tell by the remark that you are no older than 12, so I guess some here will excuse you. But, if you were MY daughter, I would ground you if you had that snotty attitude with me!!

322

deb in fla. On Friday, July 4 at 8:26 pm

This dressing was the hit of a dinner party I attended last night. It was even better with dinner (your basil pesto pizza) tonight. Just finished both to my database of favorite recepies, along with The Best Lasagna Ever. (yes i am a dork). Yum!

323

Mia On Saturday, July 5 at 1:06 pm

My family went CRAZY for this. We had steak salad for dinner the other day, and I had seen this and just thought “why not?” And now me (and my parents) are addicted. I added white vinegar and some black pepper. The whole batch was gone within 24 hours.

Question: I want to make a bigger batch but I’m unsure how long it will keep in the fridge…?

Eileen On Sunday, July 27 at 8:48 am

I made this dressing finally tonight. OMG!! I was never a fan of ranch dressing, the bottled crud..bluck. This stuff is LOVE!!! Garlicky (2 cloves baby!) and ohhh yeah. Fill a tub and I will bring the veggies.

Might add some fresh basil to it tomorrow.

329

Duane Reister On Thursday, July 31 at 12:08 pm

I have enjoyed your website and recipes plus your tales of your family and animals. Now I really know that your are a
special chef/cook. Just looked at the recipe for making homemade ranch dressing and you use Wusthoff cutlery.
This brand is one that I switched to several years ago and it makes cooking/cutting so much easier.

Keep up the great work on the website and keep adding photos of those children of yours. The husband is OK also I guess. Anyway you have one of the most cooking websites on par with Alton Brown of Good Eats fame.

330

pietra On Wednesday, August 13 at 10:05 am

As the 331st comment on this I’m not really thinking you’ll notice, but I wanted to say thank you. As an ex-pat living in the UK there are many foods that I miss. You helped to solve the absence of good ranch dressing. Thank you very much.

332

Joy On Monday, August 25 at 12:41 pm

Thanks, P-Dub for saving me yet ANOTHER trip to the grocery store…. I live 1 1/2 miles from a store but I typically discover I’m out of something crucial smack in the middle of nap time … my babies are 1 and 2 so naps are non-negotiable! BTW, I’m going to sub. low-fat plain yogurt for the sour cream. Hopefully it will come out Ok… I’ll be posting a flop if not. : )

333

Lara On Friday, August 29 at 8:55 am

Holy Cow, that’s some good dressing! I made a batch and subbed cilantro in for the parsley and that was fabulous, too! Thanks so much for a great website!

Jen, you read my mind…. not that it’ll be around long enough to spoil…even if I am the only one in my household that will touch it.
Ree..once again, THANK YOU for providing a recipe I’ve been looking for for ages and ages.
Lara, I’m going to try the cilantro in place of parsley too. One, it’s easier to find here, and two, I just like cilantro.

336

JD On Tuesday, October 14 at 11:39 pm

I don’t think I can use the packages ever again. Great recipe. I’ll be watching closely for your information on bulk buying and growing an indoor herb garden. Thanks so much.

Bless you and this recipe. I was born and raised in Texas and grew up on Ranch dressing. Only to marry and be whisked away to Finland, where they have never even heard of Ranch dressing. I had a huge craving and now I can satisfy it, thanks to you.

338

Laurie On Monday, January 5 at 9:51 am

SO loved the homage to Melissa Etheridge. Do you really get that kind of music out on the prairie? Kidding. I kid.

Thanks for the greatest website ever. I get nothing done at work because of your site. (I never thought I was THAT girl.) Please continue with the love story… Even though I know the end result, the story is just too darn good. I can’t sleep at night, wondering how the wedding turned out!!

339

Debbi On Sunday, January 11 at 12:16 pm

I wanted to tell you that I have started making my own blue cheese dressing lately and it is so easy. *Let me preface this by saying that I don’t often use recipies or measuring implements when I cook, so be prepared to adjust my recipe as needed.

I find a package of Danish blue cheese that looks good – either solid or crumbled. Put about 1-2 Tbsp. of blue cheese in a bowl with a similar amount of milk, then mash it with a fork to the consistency you like. Then add about a half cup of mayonaise and mix. You can add some larger chunks of blue cheese at the end if you like it chunky. And on a sidenote, you should try this dressing on spple wedges. You will want to use an apple that has a more tart flavor – my favorite is a honeycrisp apple, but they are only available for a short time during the fall.

I plan on trying your recipe soon as we go through a lot of ranch dressing at our house.

I absolutely love the way you write. Keep the great recipes & wit coming.

340

Tracy On Friday, January 23 at 4:53 am

OMG YES!
I recently moved to England to get married, it’s almost as good as moving out to the country to have to learn to be inventive! They don’t have ranch dressing, or much in the way of dressing here… my mother in law (hubby’s dad moved to the states to get married shortly after I got here!) mailed me 10 packets of hidden valley ranch dressing, I cried! This is so amazingly awesome, thank you!!! thank you !!! THANK YOU !!!!

Mali On Wednesday, January 28 at 10:27 am

Thanks so much, I plan to make this today!

343

Jeanie On Monday, February 2 at 2:27 pm

And if you leave out the milk it makes great dip for your veggie platter. Thanks for this! I tried lots of your variations too. The most popular one was a spicy version which included lots of tobasco and worshcheshire sauce.

I wonder how it would do if you used roasted garlic instead of fresh. I like them both, but the roasted variety would cut the “bite”. Have you tried it that way yet? Also, I roast my garlic a bulb or two at a time and put it in a recycled pimiento jar and keep it in the fridge for – I don’t know – a while. So it’s handy for sauces and pizza night.

345

Allison On Monday, March 2 at 12:42 am

Ree, your recipes are both reliable and entertaining! Yesterday, I introduced my English hubby to your ranch dressing, and he loved it! I even have an Indian friend and a couple Malaysian friends who want the recipe.

this has got to be the best ranch I have ever had – now I look for things to put ranch on…chicken, tortilla with cheese in the broiler then dip, saltine crackers, yeah this stuff kills my diet

347

madelaine On Monday, April 27 at 11:40 am

hi ree, thanks for posting this. i’ve come across a few other recipes, but they all call for dried ingredients. i like this one because you are using fresh ingredients. my husband doesn’t like store bought ranch dressing, so here i am how long is the shelf life of this recipe?

I made this ranch this past weekend. You saved my ranch-loving-but-not-store-bought life!
This stuff tastes like the kind at restaurants that I always love… my husband tells me it tastes BETTER! I also would like to know how long the shelf life is

349

Cori On Wednesday, June 24 at 5:35 pm

Finally made this, with oregano, thyme, cilantro, chives, and dill from my garden. It was amazing! Thanks!

350

Esmée On Saturday, June 27 at 11:19 am

Just made this and the potatoes are boiling! It is a great recipe! Thanks!

351

Michele On Thursday, July 2 at 2:16 pm

This is just the best recipe EVAH. I’m never going back to the packet.

Anonymous On Sunday, August 30 at 11:08 am

Ugh! I wish I’d have this recipe when I was in Paris and craving ranch dressing insatiably! Can you imagine a country with no ranch dressing? Heresy!

354

Rosalia On Thursday, November 5 at 7:16 pm

Hi! I was looking over your recipes and discovered this ranch dressing recipe – - I love ranch dressing, its the best! So, I was wondering if I make this recipe, how long should I have it in the frig (in the event it lasts longer than a week) before I should consider tossing it? Please let me know. Thanks a bunch! Rosalia

355

Eileen On Sunday, November 22 at 8:49 pm

Made this tonight! Beyond incredible! I also added a little bit of dill weed.

356

Krista On Thursday, January 14 at 2:52 pm

So, going to try this. Can’t believe I hadn’t thought of it. I usually add 2-4Tbs soy milk (not vanilla) or creamy tofu to my dressing to sneak in some extra protein for the kiddos and hubby. I’m picky, and don’t like either of these, but can’t taste ‘em!

357

Cris On Friday, January 15 at 3:29 pm

Just what I was looking for! Thank you, and my husband will be saying thank you later, too. hehe

358

Holly On Saturday, January 30 at 1:18 pm

Woman you are Hilarious! I would read any recipe you post, just for the humor.

359

dave On Friday, February 5 at 5:19 am

can you bottle this? i live in bulgaria, they don’t have ranch here and I have had my mother send dry packs until I found this recipe. But in the winter choice produce is hard to come by, I was wondering if I could bottle some and if it would keep for a couple months?

erisgrrrl On Saturday, February 27 at 12:54 pm

I used this as a base today using ingredients I had on hand. I used plain yogurt, mayo, curly parsley and green onion. I also added a smidge of onion powder and dill. SO good!!! Thanks for the inspiration!